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P.A. gym raises funds for childhood health

Feb 4, 2017 | 7:30 AM

Prince Albert residents will be sweating for a good cause March 4 when GoodLife Fitness hosts their annual Spin4Kids fundraiser.

The initiative is a one-day national fitness fundraising event hosted at GoodLife clubs across the country.

Paula Bulatao, assistant general manager at GoodLife in Prince Albert, said all the money raised through the event will go to support the GoodLife Kids Foundation.

“[The foundation] raises funds to support national, provincial and local programs that provide ongoing physical activities and opportunities for kids, and remove some of the barriers currently holding children back from leading a healthy, active life,” she said.

Bulatao said the foundation has impacted the lives of over 240,000 Canadian kids through physical activity opportunities and programs, including a school program designed to teach fitness skills to students at no cost to the schools.

GoodLife also has a Grant Program, Bulatao said, which provides funding for physical activity programs for children with special needs.

“GoodLife covers 100 per cent of our administrative and operational expenses so that every dollar raised will make the biggest impact on Canadian kids,” Bulatao said.

Bulatao said it’s important to get kids active because a recent study showed only nine per cent of children between the ages of five and seven get the recommended 60 minutes per day of physical activity.

“Kids spend too much of their waking hours sedentary and there is less opportunity for constructive play,” she said.

Spin4Kids will help raise money for the foundation, and Bulatao said everyone can join in on the fundraiser. Bulatao said anyone over 12 can join in, even if they are not GoodLife members.

In 2015 Spin4Kids raised $8,197, and in 2014 the event raised $15,441.

 

swallace@panow.com

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